QnA

Question and Answer Series

August

Liturgically, the season after Pentecost is a time of growth. The feast of Pentecost is a time when we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit given to all creation. After Pentecost the Holy Spirit (the breath of God’s love) assists our growth in faith; a growth that is symbolized in the church with green garments, green decorations and flower arrangements.

One way that we can develop more confidence in our faith is through asking questions. Thus, every August, during the season of growth, members of the church are invited to pose questions.

How shall these questions be ‘answered’?

QnA reflections are not answers to the questions, but rather a structure in which to reflect on the questions asked. The structure is threefold: reason, tradition and scripture.

By reason we mean any knowledge we produce through the active use of our minds. Reason also includes the role that reflected experience plays in pondering God and life questions. Self-reflective awareness presumes some knowledge of one’s own context, blind spots and assumptions.  Wherever possible we hope to use as a deliberate assumption the perspective from the margins. Jesus offers a preferential option for the poor and thus we practice this virtue as much as possible, aware that we fail before we have begun. Why? Our context as educated westerners, consuming most of the world’s resources, means that our wealth prevents us from noticing information that is clear to the outsider or the marginalized.

By Tradition we mean post biblical theological resources of the early church from the past to the present. Why use tradition? The conviction is that the Spirit continues to be present and at work in God’s community beyond Scripture. Tradition literally means “handed down” and refers to how we treasure insights valued and preserved in previous generations.

By Scripture we mean the canon of the Old and New Testament books. We can briefly mention that the word Scripture means different things to communities. The Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Protestants generally have different “versions” of Scripture. We can also briefly note the influence of differing translations from alternate sources whether the Greek New Testament (NIV, NRSV), the Latin Vulgate, the Septuagint (Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures) and looser more dynamic translations (CEV or Good News Bibles). These few sentences hint at the fraught nature of Scripture as a source and we haven’t yet mentioned the opposing ways in which Scripture is interpreted. Perhaps at this point we pause and state that for our purposes we hope to read the Scripture through the “eyeglasses” of Jesus. Those parts of Scripture that are “in tune” with Christ’s vision of God’s kingdom come clearly into focus. Those aspects of Scripture that are against the Spirit of Jesus fade into the background.

In summary, we reflect on the questions our community poses through the tension of reason, tradition and Scripture, as Anglicans have done since the time of Richard Hooker onwards. As we use the tripod of reason, tradition and Scripture, the invitation is offered to receive the reflections presented as further questions to ponder and not as a definitive answer.

Questions are best submitted at Anglicans.live or left for the person delivering your bulletin or posted at the church

The Rev’d Dr Desiree Snyman

Rector

Alstonville Anglicans Sharing the Good Life

anglicans.live

priest@anglicans.live